1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector fitting construction in which a half-fitted condition is positively prevented by a resilient force of a resilient member mounted in at least one of a pair of female and male connectors to be fitted and connected together, and the connector, fitted on the mating connector, is positively locked.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 10-219125, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Usually, many electronic equipments are mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and therefore, naturally, various types of female and male connectors are provided at connection ends of various kinds of wires forming wire harnesses or the like.
Various half-fitting prevention connectors, in which a condition of fitting between female and male connectors, can be detected, have been used, and one such example is disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei. 5-81967.
This half-fitting prevention connector comprises a pin-type connector, having a plurality of juxtaposed pin contacts mounted therein, and a socket-type connector having a plurality of juxtaposed socket contacts mounted therein. A movable cover is mounted on the outer periphery of the female connector for sliding movement back and forth. Spring receiving portions are provided at opposite side portions of this movable cover, respectively, and compression springs are received respectively in these spring receiving portions, and extend in a forward-rearward direction.
In this half-fitting prevention connector, however, although the half-fitted condition can be prevented by the resilient force of the compression springs, there is encountered a problem that when trying to fit the two connectors together while holding the opposite side surfaces of the movable cover with the hand, the movable cover can not be moved, and therefore the efficiency of the fitting operation is low.
On the other hand, a connector fitting construction, which has been disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 10-50408 and so on, may solve the above problem.
A male connector 1A, shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, comprises a housing 3 which includes a connector housing 3a, having a terminal receiving chamber, and an exclusive-use housing 3b forming a slider receiving portion 4 for slidably receiving a slider 10A (described later). Guide grooves 5 for respectively guiding opposite side portions of a body of the slider 10A are formed respectively in opposite side portions of the exclusive-use housing 3a, and a spring receiving portion 3c of a tubular shape is formed at a rear end of each of the guide grooves 5.
A lock arm 6 is formed integrally with the exclusive-use housing 3b at a widthwise central portion thereof, and extends in a fitting direction, the lock arm 6 having an elastic, free end portion. The lock arm 6 has a lock beak 7 formed on an upper surface thereof, and the lock beak 7 has a slanting surface, and a housing lock 8 for retaining engagement with a mating connector is formed on a lower surface of the lock arm at a distal end thereof. Displacement prevention projections 8a for preventing the displacement of the lock arm 6 are formed on the upper surface of the lock arm 6, and face away from the housing lock 8. Side spaces 4a for receiving part of the slider 10A are formed at opposite sides of the lock arm 6, respectively. The slider 10A includes an elastic slider arm 12 provided at a generally central portion of the slider body 11, and the slider arm 12 has a pair of abutment projections 14 formed respectively at opposite side portions of a lower surface thereof at a front end thereof. The slider 10A includes a depressing portion 15, which is formed on an upper surface thereof at a rear end thereof, and is operated when canceling the fitting connection, and a slide groove 13 formed in the slider arm 12 and the depressing portion 15. Spring retaining portions 16 for respectively retaining compression springs 9 are formed respectively at opposite side portions of a lower portion of the slider body 11 at the rear end thereof. A displacement prevention portion 17 for prevention the displacement of the lock arm 6 is formed at the front end of the slider body 11.
The female connector (the other connector) 2A, shown in FIG. 11, includes a housing 21 having a terminal receiving chamber, a pair of stopper projections 22A, which are formed on a surface of the housing 21 so as to abut respectively against the abutment projections 14 of the slider 10A during the connector-fitting operation, a slanting projection 23, which is provided between the stopper projections 22A, and has a slanting surface for flexing the lock arm 6, and an engagement groove 24 which is formed at a rear side of the slanting projection 23 so as to be engaged with the housing lock 8.
A procedure of fitting the above female and male connectors together will now be described. When the slider 10A, having the compression springs 9 held respectively on the spring retaining portions 16, is pushed into the slider receiving portion 4 of the male connector 1A from the front side thereof as shown in FIG. 9, the slider body 11 moves along the guide grooves 5 toward the rear end of the male connector. At this time, the abutment projections 14, formed at the lower surface of the slider arm 12, are received respectively in the side spaces 4a formed respectively at the opposite sides of the lock arm 6. Then, the compression springs 9 are received in the spring receiving portions 3c, respectively, and the lock beak 7 is fitted in the slide groove 13, so that the slider 10A is slidably mounted in the slider receiving portion 4.
In the above condition shown in FIG. 10, the slider 10A is urged forward by the resilient force of the compression springs 9, and the front end of the depressing portion 15 is retainingly held against the lock beak 7 in the slide groove 13, and the displacement prevention projections 8a, formed at the distal end of the lock arm 6, abut against the displacement prevention portion 17 formed on the lower surface of the slider 10A at the front end thereof, thereby preventing the upward displacement of the lock arm 6.
Then, when the operation for fitting the female and male connectors together is started as shown in FIG. 11, the stopper projections 22A of the female connector 2A are inserted respectively into the side spaces 4a (see FIG. 9), formed respectively at the opposite sides of the lock arm 6 of the male connector 1A, and these stopper projections 22A abut against the abutment projections 14 of the slider 10A, respectively. From this time on, the resilient force of the compression springs is produced. At this stage, pin contacts 31, mounted in the female connector 2A, are not yet fitted respectively in socket contacts 30 mounted in the male connector 1A.
Then, when the fitting operation further proceeds, the slider 10A is pushed rearwardly against the resilient force of the compression springs, so that the housing lock 8, formed at the distal end of the lock arm 6, abuts against the slanting projection 23 of the female connector 2A. If the pushing operation is stopped in this half-fitted condition, the male and female connectors 1A and 2A are returned or moved away from each other (that is, in a disconnecting direction opposite to the fitting direction) by the resilient force of the compression springs 9, and therefore such half-fitted condition can be easily detected.
Then, when the fitting operation further proceeds, the slider arm 12 of the slider 12A is flexed (elastically deformed) upwardly by the lock beak 7, so that the abutment of the stopper projections 22A with the abutment projections 14 of the slider 10A is released. Then, under the influence of the compression springs, the slider arm 12 slides over the stopper projections 22A, and also the housing lock 8, formed at the distal end of the lock arm 6, slides over the slanting projection 23, and is engaged in the engagement groove 24.
Then, the slider 10A is returned to its initial position under the influence of the compression springs, so that the displacement prevention portion 17 of the slider 10A abuts against the displacement prevention projections 8a of the lock arm 6, as shown in FIG. 13. As a result, the lock arm 6 is locked, and the female and male connectors are held in a completely-fitted condition, and the contacts 30 are completely connected to the contacts 31, respectively.
This completely-fitted condition can be detected through the sense of touch, obtained when the housing lock 8 of the lock arm 6 slides over the slanting projection 23, and also can be easily detected by viewing the position of the returned slider 10A.
In the male and female connectors 1A and 2A, a half-fitted condition can be detected, and the fitting operation can be easily effected. However, the slider body 11 and the slider arm 12 need to be elastically deformed at the time when the abutment projections 14 of the slider 10A are disengaged respectively from the stopper projections 22A during the fitting operation. Therefore, the connector-inserting force, required for fitting the male and female connectors 1A and 2A together, must be abruptly increased midway through the fitting operation, which has invited a problem that the fitting operation can not be carried out smoothly.
With the above problem in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide a connector fitting construction in which a half-fitted condition is positively prevented when fitting a pair of female and male connectors together, and a connector-inserting force, required for the fitting operation, can be reduced.
To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a connector fitting construction which comprises a female connector including a housing into which a terminal is insertable, a male connector fittable to the female connector, the male connector including a housing into which another terminal is insertable, wherein one of the female and male connectors including a slider receiving portion, and the other one of the female and male connectors including a pair of stopper projections formed on the housing thereof, a spring member receivable in the housing of one of the female and male connectors, a slider slidably insertable in the slider receiving portion, the slider having a pair of abutment projections, and a notch, in which a front end portion of the slider is receivable, formed above the slider receiving portion, wherein, when the female and male connectors are fitted to each other, the abutment projections respectively abut against the stopper projections, the slider is moved rearwardly in the slider receiving portion against a resilient force of the spring member, and the front end portion of the slider is received in the notch so as to release abutment of the abutment projections with the stopper projections.
In the above connector fitting construction, preferably, each of the stopper projections has a forwardly downwardly-slanting surface formed on a front end thereof, and the notch has a forwardly downwardly-slanting surface formed on a front edge thereof.
In the above connector fitting construction, preferably, the slider is moved forwardly in the slider receiving portion in accordance with the resilient force of the spring member as the abutment of the abutment projections with the stopper projections is released.
In the above connector fitting construction, preferably, one of the female and male connectors includes a lock arm having a lock beak with a sliding surface, and the slider includes a groove formed therein, and wherein the front end portion of the slider is moved upwardly so as to be received in the notch as a front edge of the groove slides onto the sliding surface of the lock beak.
In the above connector fitting construction, preferably, a half-fitted condition of the female and male connectors is prevented by the resilient force of the spring member.
In the above connector fitting construction, before the fitting operation of the male connector is effected, the slider, having the spring member held in the housing, is pushed into the housing from the front side thereof. At this time, the abutment projections, formed on a lower surface of the slider body, are received respectively in spaces provided respectively at opposite sides of the lock arm, so that the slider is slidably mounted in the housing.
Then, when the operation for fitting the female and male connectors together is started, the stopper projections of the female connector are inserted respectively into the spaces in the male connector, and abut against the abutment projections of the slider, respectively. Then, when the fitting operation proceeds, the slider is pushed rearward against the resilient force of the spring member.
If this pushing operation is stopped in this half-fitted condition, the female and male connectors are moved away from each other (that is, in a disconnecting direction opposite to the fitting direction) under the influence of the spring member, and therefore such half-fitted condition can be easily detected.
In the above connector fitting construction of the present invention, the housing has the notches for allowing a temporary upward movement of the front end portion of the slider body, and the front end of each of the stopper projections has the slanting surface, and the front edge of each of the notches has the slanting surface, and these slanting surfaces are slanting forwardly downwardly in the fitting direction.
Therefore, the abutment projections, abutted respectively against the stopper projections, are urged upwardly by the slanting surfaces of the stopper projections.
Then, the fitting operation further proceeds, and when the slider is moved to the predetermined position at the rear portion of the housing against the resilient force of the spring member, the front end portion of the slider is temporarily received in the notches disposed above the slider, and therefore the abutment of the abutment projections of the slider with the stopper projections of the other connector can be smoothly released.
Then, immediately, the front end portion of the slider is moved forward under the influence of the compression spring, and slides over the stopper projections, and abuts against the slanting front edges of the notches, and is returned to be again received in the housing, and is further moved forward to be returned to the initial position.
By thus moving the slider body upward without flexing it, the connector-inserting force, required for fitting the female and male connectors together can be reduced, and the two connectors can be completely fitted together with the low inserting force, and the efficiency of the fitting operation can be enhanced.